Amore con Brio
by CyberForte
Summary: It seems Enzan is back from his time at university in Netopia, at least for a bit. And he appears to have his eye on a fellow admirer of Classical Music. [EnzanMeiru, hints of NettoIris] [Completly EXE GameBased]
1. Prelude: Maestoso

Amore con Brio

An EnzanMeiru Fanfiction by CyberForte.

-Section I-

Disclaimer

I do not own Rockman.exe, nor do I own any associated stuffs. I do not own the music of Ludwig van Beethoven or any other composers mentioned. I am also not responsible for any damage incurred by you who read my fic. I do own any fan characters or original concepts, though. Et cetera, ad infinitum.

-Section II-

Author's Notes

I. - My apologies to Rockman.exe and Netto fans, but the said duo will likely not appear in this fic. But, if I ever get to doing it, I have idea another set in the same timeline that will focus more on them. It'll likely be a NettoIris, though, just as a word of warning. I may refer to events from it within, so bear with me, if you could.

II. - I am attempting a musical theme with this fic, thus why all the titles and such may seen odd to you. I believe you'll find most of the definitions here: http://en. (Amore is non-musical, though. It means 'love' in Italian.)

III. - This fic assumes several things.

A. That the "twenty-years" information at the end of Battle Network Rockman.exe VI/Mega Man Battle Network VI is uncanon.

B. That otherwise, the ending of the Greiga/Gregar version of the aforementioned game is canon.

C. That Enzan, having been raised in the upper portion of society, received a musical education to some degree.

D. That Netto felt something for Iris in return.

E. That copyroids were never released to the general public.

1. After the fiasco at the Expo, all Copyroids were ordered destroyed by the equivalent of the United Nations.

IV. - Although the rating is "T" for the moment, if I decide that it fits the plot, I may raise that to "M" and add a lemon. But don't expect it, as there is as much of a chance of me not doing it as there if of me doing it.

V. - I use the English country names, mainly because I find them far more interesting than the boring Japanese ones. Most other things will be the Japanese versions, however.

VI. - I'll try not to go out of character with anyone, but I might unknowingly do so. If you see me doing it, feel free to tell me, albeit politely, and I will try to fix, assuming it's not something I think is a fitting persona shift over the four years.

VII. - Apologies if the prelude is too short, I didn't want to make it awful by trying to tack more on. If you think I need to add more, I can try to put more in the body, though.

-Section III-

Prelude: _Maestoso_

Within the confines of a large mansion, the ballroom, to be precise, music could be heard. If anyone where around to hear it, that is; the room, and in fact the house were deserted, with the exception of the one who sat at the large organ. Most of the mansion was ensconced in dust, and footprints could be seen leading from the door of the room to the organ. It seemed the house had been out of use of late, with the owner away on business as usual, and with the current occupant's return unexpected, no one had warned the maids. But it didn't really matter to him; the room that was his had been cleaned easily, and this was the only other room he had much intention of using, at this point.

Although it had been nearly four years since he had last sat in the organ's seat, he could still remember every minute detail about the instrument; one is not likely to forget a place in which one spent hours upon hours of one's childhood, or lack thereof, in. As long as he could remember, his father had insisted (or ordered, rather) that he be able to play the instrument and become familiar with numerous pieces of classical music. All in the name of being certain he had a more cultured outlook than imbeciles such as Hikari... Not that he minded, really; some of it was quite good, especially Beethoven.

As all these thoughts went through the mind of the eighteen-year old Enzan Ijuin's mind, whatever he had been playing slowly began to trail off, and was soon replaced by the beginning of a piece he literally knew by heart. Even had he not had plenty of occasion to practice it whilst in Netopia, he was fairly sure he would still have been able to play it from memory. Even as the low notes of the onset began to rise as _Beethoven's Symphony No. 9: Presto_, or _Ode to Joy_, as the movement was more commonly known progressed, his mind was drawn down a different path, the music leading him. His mind wandered through memories, each sharing a common factor; the only real female presence of his life when he'd in this house. Certainly he had known others, but she was the only one who he _might _have considered more than a nuisance.

The memory which had sparked the chain to life came back to him now...

---Flashback: _Ritardando_--

_Enzan had been walking through the quaint suburb of Densan City known as 'ACDC Town,' an awful play on the two types of current. It had been a fairly light night, Luna being in high sanction, and he had been excruciatingly bored. Hence why he had found himself in the vicinity of his only rival's residence. Maybe he had subconsciously hoped to challenge the other, or maybe he had just been there to look down on Hikari's middle-class lifestyle..._

_In the end, it hadn't really mattered why the white-and-black haired had traveling as such, for when he approached the Hikari residence, something had caught his eye...or ear, rather. A familiar melody seemed to be permeating the cool spring night. Unless he was hearing things, someone was playing a piano quite well this eve. Intrigued, he had searched for the source, his ear leading him towards the gaudy pink home near that of Hikari. The melody became clearer as he approached more so... It had been a Beethoven, _Moonlight Sonata

_The piece wasn't one of his favorites, but he was none-the-less astounded to hear it played with such clarity and skill, especially in -this- neighborhood. Moving quietly and nigh-undetectably through the miniature garden of the house, he had moved to a window of the structure. The sight that now struck him added to his inner amazement: it was one of Hikari's friends playing! As the girl's deft fingers moved over the keys, bringing the piece into its second movement, he couldn't help but remain. It seemed somehow that leaving would be a travesty, even if both mind and body were telling him there would be hell to pay if he were seen as such. _

_Despite these warnings, he had indeed stayed for the remainder of the piece, silently observing Meiru Sakurai's skillful manipulation of her piano. Such was the spell of the music, he had imagined... Although even the spell couldn't stop him from noticing that the piano, setting, and even the girl's attire were all unsuited to the talent of the girl and quality of the music. If he had been anyone else, he might even have wished he could bequeath upon her more becoming forms of all three items... But, he was himself, and so he quietly slipped away as silently as he'd come when the music ended._

--End Flashback: _A Tempo_--

He had never spoken to anyone of what he'd seen that night, especially not her, but later in the year, when she had invited him to go camping along with Hikari and the others, he had given it some consideration. Some might even say he had flirted with her for a bit... But, in the end, he had seen her preference; she seemed dead set on Hikari, and Enzan wasn't the type to beg after a girl. So, until now, he had pushed her from his mind for the most part, being no more than polite on the occasions they had met.

But that had been four years ago. Now, with him freshly returned to Electopia, things might just be different. As movement he played progressed into the final sequence, which seemed quite grand, and would usually be sung along to loudly, he considered the present. It seemed that Hikari was out of the picture, having fallen for a brunette who bore a strange resemblance to the girl-navi from that last incident they had worked on together... As the movement drew into a conclusion, Enzan smiled, a very rare occurrence, even these days. Either way, he thought, it ought to prove an interesting ordeal...


	2. First Movement: Largo Poco

Amore con Brio

An EnzanMeiru Fanfiction by CyberForte.

-Section I-

Disclaimer

I do not own Rockman.exe, nor do I own any associated stuffs. I do not own the music of Ludwig van Beethoven or any other composers mentioned. I am also not responsible for any damage incurred by you who read my fic. I do own any fan characters or original concepts, though. Et cetera, ad infinitum.

-Section II-

Author's Notes

I. - All previous notes still apply.

II. - I'm now writing Movements rather than chapters, in keeping with the theme of Classical Music.

-Section III-

First Movement: Largo Poco

The birth of day from night's womb brought solace to the fears of the night for some, whilst aggravation to the shadow's calm to others. To Meiru Sakurai, it brought renewed depression, and suffering...not that the cheery redhead would ever let that show. Insofar as she knew, only Roll, her loyal Netnavi, was aware of her current down. Maybe Netto or Rock would have been, but seeing them enough for the duo to notice her would also involve her seeing them, and their newest companion... Although someone as outwardly pure as Meiru would never say it, in her heart, she despised the new girl. The one whose appearance had thrust her into this spiral of misery.

But, she had to maintain appearances. Thus, she awoke as it all were well, just as she had for the past few weeks. Standing from her plush pink bed, the nearly-eighteen-year-old sighed slightly and began the process of changing from her sleeping clothes into her preferred attire of late. The latter consisted of something more substantial than she'd worn in the recent past, but ever since that Iris girl had reappeared (wasn't she a navi...?) and Netto had fallen for her once more, Meiru had been unable to muster the desire to wear the casual and slightly revealing clothes she had taken to wearing in a vain attempt to catch Netto's eye. So, she now stuck to a faded pink t-shirt and a matching pair of long pants. Nothing really noteworthy, as she had no one's eye to catch.

Compared to four years prior, however, she looked quite different. Her hair, still the same shade of red/pink, now hung down well past her shoulders, and her skin had become a bit paler of late, as she hadn't been going out so much as she used to. Added to that, she had grown taller and...developed a bit more in other ways. In short, at almost eighteen, the girl had nearly become a woman, although she wasn't _quite_ finished growing.

Netto, of course, never even thought of her as a girl, she thought to herself. To him, she was always just a best friend. And that was the true root of her current suffering. But, one could never tell that as she cheerfully picked up her PET, offered Roll a cheerful good morning, and prepared to head downstairs for a spot of breakfast. Breakfast was a dull affair, as usual. Her parents had already gone out for the day, so she yawned and poured cereal as she asked Roll to check her mail, not really expecting anything of note. It was now several weeks into summer, and her life was exceedingly dull. Because she had been waiting for Netto to notice her, she had not even had occasion to have a boyfriend, and now that she was avoiding Netto, there was precious little on her agenda. Or, there had been...

--_Stretto Subito_--

That same morn, within the mansion, another was already well awake. Although he'd quit his official work to make way for the demands of advanced college and travel, he still made a point of keeping a fairly exacting schedule, one which included rising quite early. Thus, by the time Miss Sakurai had awakened, he was well on his way to having the day's events sequenced. For his attire this day, he had chosen one of his more dignified Netopian-styled outfits, though one that still betrayed his preference for crimson-hued clothing. The outfit itself was a slightly military one, although without so much ornamentation or thickness, as it had been created for summer usage.

As such, the primary fabric was a white, so as to keep the wearer cool, but all of the trim was dyed a vibrant crimson. The shirt was a bit longer than many, and double-breasted, but not quite a full jacket, the trim appearing mostly upon the shoulders and edges. The pants were fairly basic, save the triple stripe of black-crimson-black which shot down the outer face of either leg. All considered, the clothing along with his self-assured bearing made the teenaged boy look older than he was, but not so much so as to be stuffy. In the last four years, the only real changes he had undergone were in height; he enjoyed his old hairstyle still, and he considered facial hair both barbaric and irksome to care for.

That morn, Enzan had dressed quickly, although not in the least bit rushed, merely efficient, holding to his belief that all things should be done at a quick pace only so long as it is not so quick as to create an inferior result. His father would probably be proud, assuming the man was capable of said feeling; he'd oft had his personal doubts on that subject. But, such thoughts were far from Enzan's mind; he had already begun to think through the day's activities, and a plan to allow him a chance to re-evaluate the girl he had been making designs upon on the prior eve.

Considering the situation, he was startled out of his deliberations by the voice of Blues.exe, whom he had dispatched to gather information. The red navi with lengthy white hair seemed unchanged for the most part as he reported to Enzan, "Sir, I believe I have found what you requested."

Whilst the dual-toned teenager did not seem particularly pleased at his partner's timing, he did appear curious as to what news the sword-wielding navi had uncovered, and so enquired, "What is it, Blues?" His tone betrayed neither annoyance nor pleasure, even to the navi who knew him far better than most.

"Sir, while examining the Densan NetSquare's Boards, I noticed an entry of relevance to the search criteria you had requested me to seek." Knowing his master and creator would not reply, the red navi continued, "Listed under advertisements, Meiru Sakurai placed an entry detailing her availability to perform as a pianist. Included also were her qualifications and her contact information. I have taken the liberty of transcribing this, along with a complete copy of her message, into a text file which you may access at your convince, should you find it of use, sir."

Enzan nodded, pleased with his navi's results, "Excellent work, Blues. Bring the file up on screen, then continue your search."

The navi nodded, complying posthaste with a quick, "Yes, sir."

Once he had fully read and digested the information, the boy set began to compose a plan... A rather ironic term, since he seemed to have found his way to the organ once more, and was now absentmindedly playing through Bach's _Fugue for Organ in G Minor ('Little')_, or, as it was commonly known, _Little Fugue in G Minor_. But it suited. Sipping a glass of Darjeeling Tea with a touch of cinnamon as he played, a taste he had acquired in his culinary courses, Enzan noted mentally with a half-smile (which he quickly killed) that 'compose' might be an accurate term, with what he intended. And so, closing out the piece, he began to make his preparations around an hour before Meiru had even awoken.

_--A Tempo con Accelerando Poco a Poco--_

As Meiru concluded her small repast, Roll's e-mail check concluded. Five new messages, two of which were overt SPAM, which was deleted, and another two of which were replies to requests for college information, which she saved for later reading. The final, though, rather interested her, although she was a bit unsure what to make of it. Sent anonymously, the rest of the information seemed fine, so she opened it. Contained within the document was a polite but concise request for her to attend an audition. For a moment, this puzzled her, but then she recalled the add she had posted perhaps a week prior, advertising herself as a pianist for hire.

Although she'd allowed herself to hope it might receive a reply, considering the medium, she'd never expected an intelligent response to it. No one really appreciated musical skill these days; even those whom she had considered best friends couldn't even attend her recitals and performances, her inner skeptic had pointed out... And yet, here it lay, a request, and judging by the quality of the e-mail background image, from someone of class. She briefly wondered if she might still be asleep, but brushed that particular thought away posthaste; if she was, she'd not mind staying as such a bit longer.

Once the initial excitement had worn down a bit, Meiru decided she might as well head over early; if it was true, all the better to get there fast, and if not she'd have less build up hopes to be dashed. The request had said an instrument would be provided, so that was no issue, but as she read over the address, she found if oddly familiar. But, being unable to think of the home that matched it and noting the section of town, one she rarely, if ever, visited, she passed the feeling off as am illusion created in her current state of excitement. The request hadn't said anything about how to dress, but she was considering her options anyway; the address was located in a very high-class neighborhood, and she didn't want to show up looking like a slob. So, after quickly having her pink netnavi draft a sufficient reply, she once more turned her attention to her wardrobe...

--_Maestoso_

Several hours hence, Meiru Sakurai had arrived at her destination, taking the more scenic walking route. As she'd grown older, she'd come to feel...less than safe on most forms of public transportation, and so preferred to walk, assuming the distance was not too extremely far. Besides, being in close contact with others could have ruined her current attire, which would defeat the entire point of dressing up for the occasion. So, although she had arrived a few hours later than she might have, the walk had felt good, and her attire was preserved.

Looking upon the mansion to which she had been summoned to, the girl once more felt a surge of familiarity, but could still not place it. So, she continued towards the large oaken doors, which seemed to open of their own accord to her knock...being computerized, of course. Upon the opening of the doors, an organ could be heard somewhere within, playing something classical that she couldn't place offhand. Since the e-mail request had noted that she was to follow the organ, she did her best to compose herself for the encounter (the skill of the organ player worried her slightly, although exhilarating her at the same time) that seemed imminent.

Meanwhile, deeper within the mansion, on the seat of his organ sat Enzan. As he heard the doors swing open, he began to speed up the piece slightly, knowing the other would be approaching through a hall that he himself had carefully cleaned. He preferred to do such than to have to deal with his father's army of fawning and irksome servants. So, as he emptied his glass of tea and heard the sound of the other's footsteps, he added yet more accelerando, having chosen the piece because it was grand, but also because it was written in a variable tempo. He took a perverse pleasure in dramatizing the encounter, one for which most people would have blamed their theatre teacher for. He didn't care to place blame, though, since _he_ was the one who had acquired it, it was his responsibility alone. And so, as the music reached a crescendo, the final doors into the ballroom slowly opened and Meiru moved through.


	3. Second Movement: Vivace Scossa

Amore con Brio

An EnzanMeiru Fanfiction by CyberForte.

-Section I-

Disclaimer

I do not own Rockman.exe, nor do I own any associated stuffs. I do not own the music of Ludwig van Beethoven or any other composers mentioned. I am also not responsible for any damage incurred by you who read my fic. I do own any fan characters or original concepts, though. Et cetera, ad infinitum.

-Section II-

Author's Notes

I. - All previous notes still apply.

II. - BattleWiz88, it's good to meet another supporter of said pairing also. I thought I might be adrift in a world of NettoMeiru and NettoEnzan (bleh to the infinite power) supporters these days.

III. - I fear that their might not be a true antagonist; the fic will likely end up exploring the feelings of the two as time and their relationship progresses, especially the conflicting ones. But, in order to give -some- action, I'll do my best to fit a few netbattles in, if I can.

IV. - To other reviewers, because I'm too lazy to check names: Thank you all, I hope I can continue to please you with my work... But what part at ye olde onset is hard to read per se?

-Section III-

Second Movement: Vivace Scossa

The first feeling experienced by Lady Sakurai upon her entrance was _deja vu_, which was rather odd, as she was quite certain neither the room nor the music had been seen or heard by her prior to this occasion... Then her eyes settled upon the performer and enlightenment hit her; although he had changed strikingly, especially in attire, there could be no mistaking the identity of her host; the dual-haired boy was not easy to forget, even after all these years, nor was his arrogant attitude. Thus, she was quite astounded when, as the last note came forth, Enzan stood and offered a polite bow to her, greeting her formally, "Welcome, Lady Sakurai."

Although she had believed herself prepared, even such minimal courtesy from anyone, never mind the arrogant and cold-shouldered official she had known, left her rather speechless for a moment. Luckily, her planning took over quickly, though, and her mind went on semi-autopilot. Returning his bow with a curtsy, she replied in a slightly dazed voice, "T-thank you, Enzan...?"

The slight question to the reply indicated the beginning of her return to conscious though, and gave the other some slight internal amusement at how he had apparently startled her quite a bit with his changed manner. Some small part of him was equally surprised, but controlling such inner voices was one of Enzan's most practiced skills, and so he silenced it, replying with a tone that one _might_ interpret as slightly warm, although Meiru was likely to out of it to notice, "Ah, I see that you remember me. I am honored, m'lady, although I can understand your surprise quite well. I admit, I did rather purposefully conceal my identity to add to the drama of the situation. But that is neither here nor there; you came about my request for your skills as pianist, I believe?"

At this juncture, Meiru was _quite_ astonished; could this really be the same boy who had treated Netto and her other friends so coldly in the past? At the same time, though, a part of her subconscious was dredging up other memories, and one in particular surfaced quite prominently: Enzan in the park politely offering her a knife before Netto did, then reprimanding the latter on his lateness. Regardless of this, however, she was still amazed... But, after a moment more of this, she finally managed to spur herself into some manner of action, nodding numbly and replying weakly as she scanned the room, "Y-yeah. Would you like a sample or something?"

Enzan nodded, following her gaze to the other instrument that had recently been added to the room; a small but elegant piano. He was rather proud of having found it, really... Hewn of polished cherry and cedar, the wooden instrument shone slightly in the light, but did not blind via glare as a shoddy and cheap modern faux-wood rendition might. No, this piano was nothing short of exquisite in its elegance, at least in the mind of the boy who had acquired it... Meiru did seem to share some of his feeling on the subject, though; her gaze was riveted to it and her state of surprise seemed to have expanded yet again, although she did seem to be handling it more gracefully this time. As the girl moved towards the crimson-and-pink satin seat, he commented, "Indeed. I have placed a piece there; hopefully it is one you are familiar with. Regardless, for your first audition, I would like to hear it played solo. Assuming you do well, I have included a second, which will be preformed in unison with myself."

Now given instructions, Meiru's confused mind had something to override the chaotic thoughts, and so she numbly nodded again as she took her seat, noting in passing that the satin had been decorated with cherry blossoms. She wondered if it had been an intentional pun upon her last name passing, but dismissed the thought immediately as she set eyes upon the music. It was indeed a piece she knew, although not one of her favorites; in fact, she oft wondered what intoxicants the composer had been on for him to have designed _Allegro Barbaro_, a piece noted as an "exercise in primal fury," to be played by solo piano. Regardless, she familiarized herself with the keyboard swiftly; if she intended to assuage her boredom, she really needed to impress to former official who had now followed her over and was observing her with a critical eye.

As the piece began, Meiru found time in her mind to begin to organize her thoughts, for her fingers could play on autopilot in this case, requiring only minimal attention to her playing. It helped also that the fast tempo of the piece drew out some of the mental lethargy that the repeated shocks had created also. Thus, as the piece progressed, her mind began to clear somewhat and questions rushed to the surface in droves; why was Enzan looking for a pianist? Was dramatic effect really the reason for not identifying himself? What had caused the changes in the other's general demeanor? Why was the former official back within the country? Why in the name of God had he chosen this piece for her to play?! Although no answers were forthcoming, the emotion stirred up by the internal asking did seem to boost her performance; the annoyance generated by the final ironically added some of the needed "primal fury" to her rendition of the piece.

Enzan noted this occurrence with interest, and while not aware of the exact circumstances of the fury's generation within the young woman, he found her sudden burst of emotion rather intriguing. Making a mental note to consider the cause later, he killed a half-smile before it began and continued his critical appraisal of her skill as the song progressed. In all honestly, he was almost shocked at her skill to make the barbaric piece sound appealing whilst still retaining the primal fury, but on the surface, he only reacted to her completion of the piece with light applause and a quiet, "Well done."

Meiru nodded, confidence in her skill now welling up as she noted the other moving to his organ. Realizing the duet piece was likely to begin now, she quickly flipped the music, revealing now the _Presto_ movement of Vivaldi's _L'Estate_, more commonly known as Summer from the Four Seasons. Although she wasn't highly familiar with the piece, it didn't seem that difficult, so she prepared herself, awaiting Enzan's cue to begin; following his lead in such unfamiliar territory seemed the most intelligent course of action open to her, even if she wasn't the type to follow others when she could avoid it. As she played, her mind wandered again, the music's title carrying her back to the beginning of summer; the time when that accursed Iris had first made a reappearance...

--_Interlude: Lento ma non troppo--_

_The early summer day had been warm, but not especially so; just enough to keep most people inside. Meiru had been shopping most of the day, but as evening set in, she had returned home to see how Netto had done with his challenge. She had found the request odd, of course, but the headstrong teen hadn't asked her advice, _of course, _and she probably wouldn't have known had she not stopped by the Hikari residence to check on the brown-haired object of her affections. Thank God his mother was a bit less oblivious to her feelings for the young net-battler..._

_Either way, she was surprised he was out this late, really; sure, the mountain had been a bit far off, but most such challenges took the ace-battler only a few minutes. Perhaps if she'd had any idea the number of complications that had ensued, she'd have been less surprised by the wait... But at the time, she'd had no idea that this Dante du Ciel and Galeman.exe would fight Netto and Rock to a standstill and even less that they would then prove to have a beast-out ability of their own... But that was another story, one she didn't fully know about and had no real desire to ask about. What mattered were the events occurring upon Netto's return._

_What a shock it had been to the redhead when Netto had emerged from the metroline carrying a brown-haired girl marked with butterfly hair clips in his arms. Especially once she recognized her as Iris... But the biggest shock had been touching the arm of the girl who had been a mere copyroid-inhabiting navi and feeling human warmth and softness. At first, she had been curious, and so she helped her clumsy and slightly idiotic friend carry the seemingly miraculously transformed Iris to his home and get her into bed. It seemed hopeful at first; the two had been fast friends in the past, despite opposing personas..._

_But, the nightmare had started only when the brunette beauty had awakened...and when the realization came about that she and Netto had fallen for each other. At first, Meiru had thought it might pass, but as hours became days and days weeks, even that transient hope had evaporated like tears in the summer heat, leaving behind only the bitter and stinging salt of reality. Since then, the redhead had slowly been sinking into a bored depression, unwilling to face her friends and risk hurting them because of her 'petty feelings.' No matter how much she might wish she could._

_--A Tempo--_

As the song drew to a climax, Meiru realized she had let her emotions color her playing thanks to the reverie. Looking to Enzan, she expected to encounter the old annoyed scowl she had so oft seen directed at Netto or the others upon his face. What she found instead quite surprised her; Enzan was watching her with a half-smile...which was, of course, swiftly killed by the boy. Still, he seemed pleased with her performance, giving slight applause and commenting in the smoother voice that high education seemed to have afforded him, "Quite interesting, Lady Sakurai. I do not believe I have heard the piece rendered with quite that mix of emotion before, but it was pleasing. Your skills seem quite satisfactory for the position."

Meiru nodded, flushing slightly at the comment on emotion; whether it was to be construed as a light compliment or veiled insult, she was uncertain, so she did not comment beyond a nod and a quiet, "Thank you." She was lost in thought again, really; no matter how she tried to combat their fell presence, memories of Netto and Iris in those first few days washed over her consciousness like a tide of despair. The God-accursed things just couldn't be stopped now that she had inadvertently let her floodgate fall open.

A moment later, however, a harsh voice sliced through the memories, the tone of practiced command shattering the memories like a fine diamond to so much thin glass, "Sakurai, are you even paying attention? I prefer not to give instructions to myself, you know."

If the girl's face hadn't been red already, it was now as red as her hair; it seemed she had completely tuned out the voice of the boy whose employ she was trying to gain entry to. She wondered silently if he'd rethink his intention of hiring her for the position, but she knew she'd best apologize, even if only because she didn't want to seem like a rude and backwards girl to anyone, especially since such might be thought of her from some past experiences. Thus, in a tired voice, she replied, "I-I'm sorry. I must have gotten caught up in my thoughts..."

Although the boy sighed, this seemed to mollify him for the most part. Nodding, he replied, "Well, I suppose better that you be lost in your thoughts than to be lost in a lack thereof, a talent your preferred company of past days seemed to have perfected." Not pausing after this blatant assault upon the intellect of certain friends of the other, he smoothly continued, "No matter, though. Insofar as the pianist work goes, the gist of the position is thus; for the next few months, I expect to require some diversion from the monotony of a solitary life, and music is one of the few services provided by others which I enjoy. This in mind, the job would entail visiting on a bi-daily basis to assuage the boredom of existence with music."

The boy then proceeded to give a fair, albeit slightly low, rate of payment to the other, then to mollify her annoyance at the low part by adding paid travel expenses and one meal a day at lunch-time paid to the deal. All in all, it seemed a fairly good position, and she expected even dealing with Enzan would be better than the incessant boredom which had hung over her life of late. Thus, with only slight hesitation, the redhead agreed to the other's terms. A contract was quickly drawn up, signed, and filed by Enzan as Meiru left with a folder of sheet music; what she was to practice for two days hence.

_--Largo ma non troppo--_

And thus, as Meiru departed his home, Enzan poured himself another glass of Darjeeling and set about contemplating the future. He unwittingly began to move his fingers in the movements which created _La Primavera: Allegro_, a piece which seemed to accurately reelect his hopes for the future... Although it was Summer, the Spring portion of _The Four Seasons_ seemed appropriate; things were beginning anew, and they had the promise of a joyous future to them. Taking a sip of the tea as the piece drew to a close, Enzan did allow himself a moment to question what he was attempting to accomplish with all this. Yes, the reason he had given for hiring the girl were quite valid, but years of training wouldn't let him deceive himself as easily as he deceived others.

There was some unfathomable reason within him that he desired the company of the girl... But he decided it didn't matter what the reason was. So long as all went well, did the motive ever come into play? Giving elaborate reasons for one's actions was the practice of a person whose plans had gone askew and who now did not wish to see himself take the full blame, despite the fact that it was probably their fault. _Reasons are for the vanquished, _he thought, _results are for the victorious. And I intend to be the latter..._

_--Largo con Pensi--_

As Meiru progressed in her homeward walk, she too was contemplating, but the object and reason for her thoughts was quite different. Having checked her mail again via Roll, it seemed Netto and Iris had invited her along for another day of stuff that she would have done without a second thought in days gone by. Sighing, she requested Roll to draft a polite apology that explained she'd had a job interview. One part of her mind wondered why Netto bothered with the requests; was it just a matter of formality? She wouldn't be surprised, really... She probably couldn't be said to count Netto among her friends any longer; she had purposefully been avoiding him, and save the incessant e-mails, he had made no attempt to rectify this.

_In the old days_, she thought, _such a travesty as this would be unthinkable. Now we just move on with our lives--those of us who retain them. _And so, with such joyous thoughts resonating painfully, even within her numbed mind, two points nevertheless surfaced; first, that she'd at least have a valid excuse for her continued refusals to Netto, and, secondly, that Enzan had managed to do something that no other had managed. In the past, the closest to letting anyone but Roll see her misery she had come was to fall into such a torrent of memories at dinner once. No one in her family had been able to rouse her at the time... So it had rather surprised the redhead when she had heard the cold edge of the boy's voice slice through her consciousness this time, damming the accursed flood. As she continued on her journey homeward, she noted that working for Enzan might have some intrinsic value in that, if nothing else.


	4. Third Movement: Andante in profondità

Amore con Brio

[An EnzanMeiru Fanfiction by CyberForte.

-Section I-

Disclaimer

I do not own Rockman.exe, nor do I own any associated stuffs. I do not own the music of Ludwig van Beethoven or any other composers mentioned. I am also not responsible for any damage incurred by you who read my fic. I do own any fan characters or original concepts, though. Et cetera, ad infinitum.

-Section II-

Author's Notes

I. - All previous notes still apply.

II. - You know, at times I feel like this is _the_ EnzanMeiru FanFiction. Don't know whether that's sad or impressive. Though I do know that Triss has a few...

III. - . ; I think this would be, if ever made visual, a Musical, for obvious reasons. Well, that and I saw again how 1337 musicals can be when I saw Phantom of the Opera on Broadway.

IV. - And yes, I am going to now attempt to revive this story. I missed it greatly. Notes will change format after this chapter.

V. - Et cetera.

-Section III-

Third Movement: Andante in profondità

Amidst a grove of old-growth weeping cherry trees, all having long foregone their Spring splendor, Enzan sat alone. It had been nigh two months now since the morning upon which he had initially hired Meiru Sakurai into the position of pianist, a decision he did not regret in the least bit, despite a complication stemming from it that was the cause of his current deliberations. Even discounting other rational, the girl was quite skilled at piano, that much could not be denied. But that was hardly all, it seemed.

_Emotions are such fickle things, _Enzan thought dryly to himself, _I do my best to attempt to cultivate the damnable things in her... and end up sewing the same seeds within myself. And then I even go on to water them with my actions and shield them with a barrier of illogic. 'So long as I succeed, my reasons don't matter...' _But, it seemed that no matter how vehemently the young man believed in this rational, reason would be needed. Reason for emotion which he had accidentally allowed, and even encouraged in himself, believing he was trying to do such in another.

Thinking back, he could clearly remember the first week or so of things. It had been rather amusing, despite a few doubts as to his own motives...doubts he had cast into nothingness with a practiced ease; self-doubt lead to hesitation, and it to failure. So, he had treated his new employee rather well, within the bounds of his personality, and even managed to get past her aversion to him due to his previous cold treatment of Hikari. They had become friends, and all had been going well...until he decided to observe Hikari; in this very place, even...

_--Flashback - Adagio non tanto--_

_The grove had been warm that day, of course; it was summer, after all...but it was complimented by also being wet. A famous summer storm had just passed, leaving a light set of clouds to cover the area in its wake, and so causing continued rainfall. Within this environment, Enzan had quietly walked amongst the trees, his nondescript black raincoat protecting him from any prying eyes; he was still a rather well known persona, even having been absent a quintet of years, and many people expected the talented young man to eventually step up as head of the Official Center. _

_This was a great misconception, however; Enzan had no further desire to be the lackey of the governmental enforcers. It wasn't so much the danger that he minded so much as the facts that it was both not challenging in the least bit and, to a prideful person such as himself, rather demeaning. It hadn't been so when he was younger, of course, but then he had been very distinct, and his skill at such a young age had made him a standout... But to rejoin now would merely make him another of many hundreds of college-age people filtering in, and he had no desire to become such._

_And really, he had mused, he wasn't losing much; so long as he periodically took a rather dull exam, he could maintain an SSS License and have nearly the same clearance as an official in most places, but without the annoyance that tended to come attached to the job. It was a good arrangement for him, if not for the government... And, being an international businessman's son, he could honestly not care much less what the government liked or didn't like. But no one knew this save he, and perhaps his father, so he preferred to keep out of the public and media sight. Besides, not being recognized would suit his purposes in other ways this day..._

_As he considered this fact, his eyes strayed to the reason for this; walking through the center of the grove at a slow pace, arm in arm with a brunette girl who brought butterflies to mind, was Hikari. The sight, although anticipated because of Meiru's descriptions, still brought a bit of a shock to Enzan's mental picture of the blundering fool who couldn't see his best friend's affections to save his life. But still, it was an interesting sight. And, more importantly, he was close enough to hear their conversation without being noticed; being caught eavesdropping by Hikari was not on his list of priorities, to be certain._

_But, he had realized, even if he'd been closer, the two seemed too caught up in each other to even have noticed. Thus, he listened carefully, more out of curiosity than anything, although he was also hoping to find some evidence that Hikari had basically forgotten Meiru of late. That was certainly the idea he had received when the girl had finally decided to open up enough to tell him about the Iris business. He was also interested in seeing if he could deduct how in the name of all that was Holy the little girl who had been revealed as a copyroid'd netnavi years ago was suddenly back and human. But that was secondary, at the moment; not really his problem, one might say._

_The two seemed to be currently merely walking, though, so he was forced to wait... But, after a bit, they grew bored and took a seat, the girl resting her head on Netto's shoulder under the wet umbrella. And, although Enzan could tell he was still a bit uncomfortable with such things, the brown-haired hero did his best to make her feel at ease. As the rain picked up slightly, she wrapped her arms around him and said something that Enzan surmised she said oft; that she was so glad to finally be with him after all the years... And so on, and so on. Nothing really of interest to Enzan, except maybe a name that rung a slight bell___Dante du Ciel.

_Nonplussed at the boring nature of the couple's conversation, and really a bit bored, Enzan had finally decided to take his leave. As he walked away, he overheard Iris enquire where Meiru had been these days. Netto, although frowning slightly, replied lightly that she seemed to always be busy these days, and that the girl shouldn't worry; if she wanted to rejoin them, she easily could, but he wasn't going to force the issue. Honestly, he had seemed a half annoyed and half relieved, the dual-tone-haired boy noted as he left the park at a leisurely pace; it seemed he would have no interference from this end of things. Superb..._

_--End Flashback - A Tempo--_

Once that had been done, he had decided he would begin to slowly plant the seeds he hoped would grow into attraction and affection. He had begun to act subtly more chivalrous, awaiting her at the doors to open them some days, offering her tea on occasion. He had hoped that the girl would notice the change unconsciously, but consciously put it down to their deepening friendship. Although the latter seemed to have worked, he now seemed to have a dilemma in that he was unsure of the former had.

Normally, this would be trivial; he could simply continue to plant for the remainder of summer, then leave if she'd not obviously taken an interest by the start of the Fall Semester. But, now there was a problem with that cut and dried solution... He had let his own emotions grow in the way that he had tried to prompt hers to. And now, if she didn't return them, he'd leave with only a bitterness and annoyance at himself for having ever let this happen. But, that wasn't the point; now that he wanted her for certain, he _had_ to find a way of getting her. Enzan _always _managed to find a way to get what he wanted, and this case should be no exception!

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Meanwhile, in a far more domestic location, the very object of Enzan's thoughts was making him the same of her own. Being in a rather frustrated mood, the cherry-haired girl was playing a piece that was a bit darker than her tastes usually ran. Thus, as Beethoven's _Symphony No. 5 in D Minor: Allegro con Brio_ was played out by her skillful fingers upon Piano keys, she considered the state of her life. In the last two months, she seemed to have become further estranged from Netto, despite her feelings for the boy (or perhaps because of them...?). There were black moments when she wondered, having occasionally spied upon he and Iris, if he was a boy still at all. The two certainly seemed to have become quite close, almost never leaving each other's company. What had Mrs. Hikari been thinking when she agreed to let Iris live with them, the girl wondered angrily. Certainly she'd like to think the two were still innocents, but it was a hard thing, considering the obvious intensity Iris showed in the relationship.

With a sigh, she turned her thoughts from him and to the boy whose presence had become the largest facet in her currently dull life. Enzan Ijuin, formerly considered a distant and cold object to be admired (and sometimes hated) from a distance...and now, if not her closest human 'friend,' he was at least the person who she felt the most normal around. It was as if her life had experienced a complete one-hundred and eighty degree flip, and despite how long it had been this was, she was still somewhat in shock from the shift.

Despite the seeming constant danger she had oft been caught up in when with Netto, her life had really never seemed that exciting; things rarely changed, and when they did, it was usually in a neutral or negative way. Now that things were changing, having never dealt with such a major shift in routine that _might_ have some quite positive aspects, the pink-haired girl was frankly unsure of how she should respond. And there was something else that confused her as well. She loved Netto, right? So, why was it that her mind more oft than naught seemed to focus on Enzan these days?

It was a change, to be sure, and she was unsure how to feel about it. Certainly she had always found him attractive, but in the past his cold demeanor had killed any feelings she might have had towards him. Not that he'd ever really treated_ her_ badly; just Netto... But, the past notwithstanding, now she didn't have that defense against him; he'd been extremely polite to her in these past two months. If he'd been nice in the past, he was a near-perfect gentleman now, albeit still slightly emotionally distant. This behavior, whilst obviously pleasant, was also extremely disconcerting to her.

Was she falling for Enzan? To be honest, having had feelings only for Netto as long as she would remember, she didn't know. She had no idea what it was like to fall for someone; the feelings she had for Netto had, as said, always been there. They never changed... or at least they never had before. But she wondered now if this was because she truly felt something or if she only still felt them because she expected to. If she was falling for Enzan, what would happen to the part of her that loved Netto? Would it die? And, if a part of her had to die to move on, did she really want to do so?

Damn, at this point, the girl _really_ wished that she had more experience in matters of the heart. Maybe if she did, there wouldn't be all this uncertainty. However, Meiru, whilst not the smartest, wasn't stupid. She understood that she feared these changes because their results were unknown quantities, and humans have an innate fear of that which is unknown. So, she revolved that she would get past the fear somewhat; as much as change might be frightening, could it be much worse than enduring through this unrequited love as someone else was obviously making the object of her affections very happy?

But how, then? It wasn't like she could just ask someone; she didn't feel comfortable asking her parents about such thing, especially since they would probably just try to push her towards Enzan. They'd already been hinting that she should try, mostly because of his position in the world, she knew well. And neither Netto nor Enzan were viable options, of course, for obvious reasons. Roll would try her best, but the pink navi probably knew _less_ about love than she did, so where did that leave her?

Suddenly, a rather odd thought crossed her mind. There might be someone who would know, and even if she would be a little biased, the woman wasn't the type to simply lie to advocate her own interests. Besides, with the way things were going now, it wasn't as if she'd feel any great need to change things. Yes, she would be the perfect person to ask...


End file.
